The Third Edition of Retro Handhelds Weekly has landed. Unlike the previous issue, there have been so many different announcements and news pieces that it’s made our collective heads spin. Not only did Ayaneo announce another Android handheld, but the Miyoo A30 gets a huge upgrade. Sit back, grab a cup of coffee, and catch up on what’s happened this week in the world of Retro Handhelds.
Hardware
If there’s one thing we know about retro handhelds, it’s that there is always something new around the corner. Seriously, it’s “worse” than smartphones, as some companies release new handhelds every other week. On the bright side, at least there’s no shortage of options.
Ayaneo Pocket EVO
Another Ayaneo Android handheld is gonna be hitting the market soon it seems 👀 https://t.co/hFdVx4lYGN
— Retro Handhelds (@RetroHandhelds) July 5, 2024
Just days after the AYN Odin 2 Mini started landing on doorsteps, Ayaneo is hitting back with a new handheld. The company began teasing the Ayaneo Pocket EVO, which is described as being a “Comprehensive Evolution of Flagship Android Handheld. Details are scarce, but, Ayaneo confirms it will feature a 7-inch 1080p OLED display, complete with a 120Hz refresh rate. While the render is intentionally darkened so as not to reveal the design just yet, we’re getting some big Ayaneo 2 vibes.
MagicX XU HD
On the opposite end of the spectrum, MagicX made a surprise announcement this week, as the XU HD was revealed. Not all of the details have been revealed, but we do know that the XU HD sports a 3.2-inch, 4:3 screen, with a resolution of 1024 x 768. According to @forthenext, MagicX is “targeting $40 USD price point,” setting its sights on the Miyoo Mini Plus. However, we don’t yet know when the XU HD will actually be made available.
Ayaneo Pocket DMG Pre-Orders
It’s admittedly a bit odd to see Ayaneo announce a new Android handheld when the Pocket DMG and Micro aren’t yet available. That’s started to change, as pre-orders for the Pocket DMG are now live in China. Ayaneo hasn’t even shared all of the specs, nor do we know just how much it will cost. However, those in China can pre-order the Pocket DMG for about $220.
Super Pocket Consoles
If you’re a fan of Evercade and Super Pocket, then you’ll be happy to hear about the launch of new Super Pocket handhelds. The Super Pocket Atari Edition and Technos Edition have been announced, with the former including more than 40 games, and the latter coming with 15 different titles. There’s even a Super Pocket Atari Special Edition, sporting a woodgrain design while only 2,600 units will be available. Pre-orders open on July 31 ahead of the expected release in October.
SJGAM M25
Those who have been wanting a retro handheld with the design of a Sony DualSense controller have a new option. The SJGAM M25 is now available, powered by the RK3566 chip and a 4.3-inch LCD. This puts it in line with the Powkiddy X55 and Anbernic RG503, capable of playing up to some PSP games. Currently, the M25 is available at Geekbuying for around $80, but we’re hoping to see it land on AliExpress soon.
Acemagic X1
Looks like GPD isn’t the only one trying to do a dual screen laptop 🤔
Acemagic put out their announcement page for the X1, a 14″ laptop with a screen that swivels out to the side of the main monitor.
What do you think? Better than GPD’s? More information is in the link below pic.twitter.com/v7EP33CqtU
— Retro Handhelds (@RetroHandhelds) July 2, 2024
For a little over a month, we’ve been hearing a lot about the GPD Duo. It’s a laptop that features two built-in 13.3-inch OLED displays and even offers stylus support. However, it seems that Acemagic is working on a dual-screen laptop of its own with the “X1 Dual-Screen Business Laptop.” The major difference between these two is that while the GPD’s second display opens vertically, Acemagic opted for a horizontal approach.
GF1 Neptune
There’s something to be said about being able to bring old consoles back to life through the help of modding. But, Gamescare is doing something a bit different. The GF1 Neptune has been announced; a modern version of the Sega Neptune that was canceled back in 1995. The Neptune aimed to make it possible to play Genesis and 32X games on a single console. As for the GF1 Neptune, it’s actually an FPGA console and includes HDMI, an SD card slot, and Wi-Fi support.
Software and Custom Firmware
Don’t get me wrong, hardware is definitely fun and exciting to talk about. But what good is an awesome handheld if it doesn’t even work? That’s where software and custom firmware come into play, so here’s everything you might’ve missed this week.
Unlicensed Ports Controversy
Anbernic made a few waves of its own this week, but not for the reasons you might have hoped. While we are nearing the launch of the RG40XX, Anbernic released a new firmware update for the RG35XX H. This update turns Anbernic’s handheld into a 64-bit Linux system, along with adding native support for PC ports. These include titles such as Celeste, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, GTA III, and even Stardew Valley.
The problem is that by including these titles with the latest firmware update, Anbernic is relying on pirated content. That’s an obvious no-no, especially considering that in order to use Ports, you need to have actually purchased the game and transferred the necessary files. Portmaster responded stating explaining its stance, complete with a “Zero Tolerance Policy.” Since the video was published, Anbernic has removed the download to the new build that includes the ports.
Big Updates for Dolphin
The Dolphin emulator is not only putting out a new release, but is also moving into a Rolling release cycle!
Definitely give their announcement a read to make more sense of it, but we’re excited to see where this goes from here! 👀https://t.co/zTxt1GmF0P
— Retro Handhelds (@RetroHandhelds) July 2, 2024
It’s been eight years since Dolphin 5.0 was released into the world, and on the surface, it might seem like there haven’t been any updates. But, that couldn’t be further from the truth as there are new builds released on a “Nightly” basis. However, the Dolphin developers are moving to a “rolling release cycle.” From now on, new Dolphin builds are identified by a “date-based versioning scheme,” with Dolphin 2407 being the first to arrive.
DesktopOS_0.2
In our first edition of Retro Handhelds Weekly, we covered a new custom firmware that turns H700-powered Anbernic handhelds into Linux computers. A couple of weeks later, and DesktopOS_0.2 is now available. This update includes support for using a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard, adds PPSSPP and DraStic, and a slew of other improvements. There are still some kinks to be worked out, but it’s incredibly impressive being able to see what the community has achieved with these retro handhelds.
MinUI for Miyoo A30
Purely from a hardware perspective, the Miyoo A30 should have taken off like a rocket in popularity. Unfortunately, Miyoo’s stock firmware fell very short of the mark, leaving us to rely on stop-gaps. That’s no longer the case as a recent update to MinUI brings support for the A30. Hit the link below to check out our setup guide.
PS4 Emulation Takes the Next Step
It’s incredible to see PS4 emulation starting to work with commercial games (Bloodborne here) https://t.co/3Fiz8TDRik
— Retro Handhelds (@RetroHandhelds) July 7, 2024
The eighth generation of consoles seems to be the next big frontier for emulation. Currently, there are a handful of PS4 emulators out there, but none of them have managed to boot into anything other than 2D games. This past week saw a huge leap forward as the developer of shadPS4 managed to get Bloodborne to actually boot. The game is still not playable, as it crashes after getting to the character screen. But, we’re excited to see what’s to come from the future of PS4 emulators.
Legion Space Overhaul for Legion Go
One of the biggest complaints about the Lenovo Legion Go has been the Legion Space software. At launch it was borderline unusable, but Lenovo remains committed to improving the experience. All of that hardware has culminated in a massive Legion Space update that is now available for Legion Go owners. The new Legion Space includes an overhauled interface, along with many long-requested features. Hit the link below to check out Team Retrogue’s recap of what’s included.
Stream Retro Games with Antstream
While we much prefer being able to have control and access to our library of retro games, that’s not exactly a viable option for some. However, Antstream is here if you want a way to “play over 1300 retro games.” Antstream is a game streaming service that is available for practically every platform, including Xbox, Windows, Android, smart TVs, and more. The reason why Antstream made it into this week’s recap is that the app is now available on both the iPhone and iPad.
Bazzite
Epic Games via Junk-Store on Lenovo Legion Go running Bazzite
I’ve been a big advocate for Bazzite when it comes to those wanting to switch away from Windows on the Legion Go or ROG Ally. Unfortuntaely, a recent update was released which made it impossible to install any future updates. Thankfully, a fix was quickly found, but you’ll need to follow the steps outlined on the forum post in order to get things working properly.
PS2 Emulation Gains
Implementation of the PlayStation 2’s Graphics Synthesizer (GS) using Vulkan compute shaders to achieve (best-effort)accurate, low-level emulation but with all upscaling goodness but also zippy
requires GSdumps to use. best-effort accuracy as noted in blog, bugs expected.
— Cary Golomb (@carygolomb) July 4, 2024
In what seemingly came out of left field, it appears that PS2 emulation is about to get a lot better and more accurate with paraLLEl-GS. Admittedly, this one’s a bit over my head, so I’ll leave it to The Phawx to explain it for others that might not fully comprehend what makes this so exciting.
Nintendo DMCA’s continue
Sudachi repo was DMCAed, yes I’ll be countering as it doesn’t provide any illegal content
— Jarrod Norwell (Antique) (@antique_codes) July 5, 2024
The hits keep coming for the emulation scene, as Nintendo seems relentless in its effort to squash as many Switch emulators as possible. The latest of which is Sudachi, which the developer states was DMCA’ed. At the time of this writing, the GitHub repository is still live, but that could change as soon as Monday. We’ll definitely be keeping an eye on this situation and how it unfolds.
From the Writers
While there’s always a lot of news to cover and talk about, we also try to take a step back and give everyone something a bit different to enjoy. These are the more editorial-styled articles that you might have missed over the course of this week.
A Love Letter to the R36S
Leave it to Nick to talk about a random clone handheld that he’s fallen in love with. It’s gotten to the point that Nick wrote a love letter to his beloved R36S, going in-depth to explain why it’s captured his attention.
The Cost of Constant Releases
With the never-ending onslaught of new retro handhelds being released every week, it’s quick to forget about ones that were released just months ago. This week, Ban takes a look at three different handhelds that “got lost in the fray, and see, is there anything we can really do about this problem now.”
A Hinged Review of The Zelda: Game & Watch
You can always count on Joe to come out of left field with the most off-the-wall article ideas. In recent weeks, Joe has been taking us down a Zelda rabbit hole. The latest installment sees Joe reviewing the original “Zelda Game & Watch” from 1989. The timing couldn’t be more perfect as this handheld turns 35 at the end of August.
On the YouTubes
Don’t think that the writers are the only ones getting things done. Stubbs and Zu are constantly working on new videos, and now’s the best time to subscribe. The past week saw Zu take us through a bunch of tweaks for the RG Cube, a throwback to the 90s with the Miyoo Mini, and a 4th of July celebration.
Looking for Deals?
Another week, another set of deals to be had. Our latest roundup sees the Miyoo A30 drop to $35, plenty of great deals on storage, and the continuance of the Steam Summer Sale. There is one deal that stands out, to me at least, as you can currently save $150 on the MSI Claw.
- Miyoo A30: $35
- Steam Summer Sale (Ends 7/11)
- MSI Claw (Intel Core Ultra 7-155H): $150 off!
- GuliKit King Kong 3 Pro Controller
- Silicon Power 1TB Superior microSD Card:
$89.99$69.99 - Patriot LX Series 128GB microSD Card (5-Pack):
$36.99$31.99 - Hitman: Absolution, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, and more for FREE from Amazon Prime Gaming
- The Falconeer for FREE at Epic Games
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I am a teacher wondering if there is a handheld that would lend its self well to running games designed by students. This would be in C++.